Oct

I don't normally post pictures of my cakes on here, but I loved this one!

I took a little break from cakes for a couple of months but now I am back and loving it!
It's been life as usual for us- go, go, go! We just finished our Women's Conference. So good!!!! Every year we have some of the greatest speakers, and this year was no exception. Our church is also hosting the David Crowder Band this weekend and Jeremy Camp next month. Also, so many of our friends are getting married/have gotten married this year and we have had the honor of performing the ceremonies. Then of course, there is all the fun family stuff- the fair, circus, pumpkin patch, school events.... I so love our life!!!!

Jeremy and I are going on a missions trip to South Africa in March. We are so excited about that! This will be the first missions trip that Jeremy and I have been on since Uganda. I am hoping that we can stay an extra night or two in London on our way back. We spent our honeymoon in London and loved it. I am definately excited to go back. But we will see. I will probably be ready to get back to my kids!

Baby is almost 6 months! So hard to believe. She is still tiny but she is growing every day! Last night we tried a little rice cereal with her but she would not have any of it. She may be a pickier eater than Chloe! I am ready for her to enjoy solids and slow down on nursing. I know it is the highlight of parenting for some people. I have truly enjoyed our time, but our schedule needs just a little more flexibility. And since she is allergic to the formula, I am really ready to add in some baby food!

I'm the Baby!

Chloe and Logan were playing together in the front room and, like usual, I was listening in on their conversation. I always discover interesting things when I listen to them! So, the conversation sounded much like this:

Chloe: Logan, I will be the mom and you can be my baby.
Logan: No! I'm Mommy's baby. Not yours.
Chloe: Logan, we are just pretending. I will be the mom, you be the baby.
Logan: No! I'm Mommy's baby. Not yours.
Chloe: Logan, its just pretend. I am going to pretend to be the mom, you pretend to be the baby.
Logan: NOOOOOOO!!! I AM MOMMY'S BABY. NOT YOURS!!!!!

Oh, how I love my little man!

Life is feeling "normal" again! School has started, Wordshop is back in session, routine is back! Even though our calendar seems booked, it all feels so normal for us! Even though it is September, we have set our calendar for the rest of this year! We have added another church service on Sundays, which is run by our young adults and has great energy to it! We still have Youth, Connect home groups (4 of them), discipleship classes, women's Bible study, men's events that we are involved with weekly and monthly. I know some people couldn't handle having people around ALL the time and I think it is a grace that God has given us! We are walking out what God has called us to and we are enjoying our life as we do it!

Chloe started 1st Grade at the beginning of the month. She LOVES her teacher! Mrs. Harasek was the student teacher in Chloe's kindergarten class last year so they already had a great connection! So far the highlights of 1st Grade have been 2 recesses each day and getting to eat lunch and the ocassional breakfast at school! I have also had to learn to let go of some of my "motherly" control. School lunches ARE NOT the healthiest option! It has taken a lot of work on my part to let Chloe eat the school food and trust that she will make the right food choices. She still takes a lunch every once in a while, on days I know she won't like their food, and gets to take a snack to eat in class (they have the last lunch period). So I still get a little bit of a say about what foods she eats. But I know we have taught her well about healthy foods vs junk foods. She knows the importance of fruits, veggies and protein. But I am sure she gets chocolate milk everyday. And I bet she gets sugary cereal on days she has breakfast at school! Oh, well.

Chloe is also learning to read. I must say, while she is learning to read the rest of us are learning a new level of patience!!!! Chloe spends about 45 min a day reading. You would think we are flying through hundreds of books. But no. We are doing good to finish one book a week! It takes her about 45 min to get through 3-4 pages. Sounding out EACH letter takes SOOOOO long! She is learning, though, so that is all that really matters.

Baby Loves Starbucks, Too!!!!

Baby- 4 Months

She is a little girl with big personality!
I think she was having fun getting all this attention!

It was hard work, being so cute! Going... ...going...
...GONE!!!

It's hard to believe Baby is already 4 months old! We are so blessed to have her in our family. She is truly a joy! Chloe and Logan were great babies, so easy to manage. But Baby tops them both. I am amazed by her constant happiness and her love for everyone around her. Everywhere we go we are stopped by people who just want to look at her and win one of her amazing smiles. Young, old and all ages in between are drawn to her. I know God has amazing plans for her!

Even at 4 months, her personality is showing through. She wants to be wherever people are. But unlike Chloe and Logan, she is content to be a part without being the center of attention. She is very observant and takes in everything. Content, happy, peaceful are the usual words people use when describing her. I often get asked if she ever cries or fusses. Yes, she does but not often. She has real cries at least once every couple of days. But usually her evening fussiness is short-lived (not really fussy compared to most kids).

She is still the apple of Logan's eyes. The "newness" hasn't worn off. She is definately his "baby guhl." Logan has an admiration and loyalty toward Chloe. But he has a protective devotion for Baby. It has been interesting to see the dynamics between all 3 kids. I love it and am excited to watch them over the next few years!